"Iris, what do you want to eat later... Ah, you’re working, huh? Should I co back later?"
"No, it's almost done. It's fine if you co in. And as for the na... No, it’s better to just stick with Iris."
"Still not used to the new na, huh?"
"Yeah."
The door clicked open, and two figures with slightly different coloring from Yujin entered the room.
Sitting on a hole-riddled chair that seed custom-designed for Yujin was the editor, while the two recent "awakened" individuals quietly took seats on the bed in the room.
The room itself wasn’t anything special—nothing too elaborate, but certainly not too plain either. Unlike Dice’s or Harmony’s rooms, it was plain and calm, with just enough decor. The high-performance video editing computer, multiple monitors, and microphones set up here, along with a quietly sleeping drone cam, made it clear that this was an editing space.
Her body had changed to that of a woman, but her personality still retained masculine traits. The sparse nature of the room reflected that, as she hadn’t yet fully embraced her new self.
But that wasn’t what they were here to talk about, and the two newcors glanced at the four screens, making their way into the conversation.
"So, are you planning to go back to being an editor too?"
"If possible, yes. I’ve been juggling both for nearly half a year, so it’s not too difficult... and above all, I have a real attachnt to this job."
"I get what you an."
Iris. She was the one who got Yujin started with the official operation of YourSpace and, in a way, she was the very beginning. She had been part of Yujin’s team from the start, almost like the "chief" of the group.
The circumstances under which she t Yujin were also different from anyone else’s. In the past, she had operated Yujin’s fan space without any compensation, and Yujin eventually bought the entire channel and brought her in as an editor.
Dice quickly turned his gaze around, noting that Iris had entered Yujin’s sphere right after Harmony, aning she had started much earlier than Dice.
Of course, such distinctions weren’t too aningful, but one thing was clear: Iris was proud of her role as an editor and could never part with it.
"Yujin’s off doing sothing, and we didn’t really have anything to do, so we were thinking of having a girls' talk... but looks like you’re working."
"As I ntioned earlier, I’m almost done. But speaking of a girls' talk... is that really a thing?"
"Hehe, now you don’t want to deny it, right?"
"How could I deny it..."
A slight gloom filled the air.
But as she said this, Iris added:
"Still, as I ntioned earlier, it’s better to just stick with calling Iris than the new na. I’ve been going by that na for months, so..."
"Ah, really? You should tell Yujin when you get to his house later. I think he's been trying to figure out how to call you lately."
"Ugh, you’re kidding..."
Dice and Harmony burst into giggles, while Iris, flustered, grabbed her phone and quickly sent a ssage to Yujin.
From now on, Yujin would continue to call the editor Iris.
The girls' talk continued.
"Have you talked with the other editors or thumbnail creators? I rember there were so many at Yujin’s house party a while back. It’s probably even more now, huh?"
"Of course. Actually, I feel a bit bad. Yujin recently said he’d send us all on a trip, but it got delayed because of ..."
"It’s a natural disaster, really. Don’t worry about it. Have you noticed how Yujin has been focused on taking care of Iris lately? It’s just unavoidable."
"...I know."
Iris rolled her eyes and lowered her head slightly.
Her face was now flushed, and her ears were red. Because her skin was pale, the blush was even more noticeable. Honestly, it was almost impossible not to notice that Yujin had been paying close attention to Iris's care.
Even though she had the strong personality of soone who didn’t care much and had no problem hunting for "Bi-Yam tails," comparing her to Harmony and Dice, whose appearance hadn’t changed much, was odd.
Because of that, the two were focusing less on why Yujin acted the way he did and more on Iris’s reaction.
'...This person is acting like an ani heroine!'
'...A rival?'
'What rival? Get a grip.'
They truly saw her reacting like a heroine. Given that it had only been less than two weeks since her body changed, it was surprising. With this in mind, the two whispered in a low voice behind Iris, who was trying to regain her composure.
It seed there was no major problem in the ssage they would deliver to Yujin later. From their conversation, it was clear that the two had co at Yujin’s request.
While virtual reality was a part of it, people couldn’t live confined only to rooms. The upcoming expo, just a month away, was a good reminder of this. Society might tolerate it, but people had to go outside.
And these two had brought a couple of excuses to go out with them.
"Anyway, I’m glad to hear the work is almost done. Since I’ve only been staying at Yujin’s house after eting my parents, I was thinking of taking a light walk outside. Wanna co?"
"Let’s go shopping. A new brand that Olivia was working as the lead designer for just opened in the luxury street area. How about we check it out? We can grab so food, walk around, have so coffee, and walk in Hangang Park."
"Ugh, suddenly?"
"Staying cooped up in the house is a waste, a waste. Let’s go now!"
"No, wait! I wasn’t just staying at ho—WAAAAAAH!"
Dragged along, Iris was quickly targeted by Harmony and Dice the mont it was confird that the work was almost done. According to so simple math, to subdue one "awakened" person, two awakened people were needed.
So, Iris was taken to the fitting room, where various sensors scanned her body and assessed her skin tone and body proportions, setting up the most suitable style.
What kind of makeup would suit her?
What would be the best outfit for sumr?
Which accessories would match her best?
The results popped up: cool, sexy, cute. Then, the possible clothing options in the fitting room were categorized, so of which could be bought separately.
Looking at this dazzling result, Iris's face turned pale.
"Ugh, this is gross..."
"Huh, what’s gross? I don’t think you were eating anything."
"It’s because of you two that I ended up releasing venom!"
"Eh?"
Dice quickly grabbed so tissues nearby, and Iris wrapped her long fangs around them. A dark yellow liquid slowly soaked through the tissues.
Once it cald down, she was asked:
"Sorry, but what does the venom taste like?"
"A bit bitter, slightly sour, and... it’s really strange. Anyway, how can you drag out like that! I can’t just throw the venom-soaked tissue away!"
"Sorry..."
"Really... If you’d just asked, I would’ve thought about it first. I’m telling Yujin about this later."
...Was she really never a woman before?
The thought that maybe she was even more feminine than they were crossed their minds briefly, but the two lowered their heads and apologized. Only then did Iris find her composure and add:
"...But even though I t my parents, I was still thinking about getting used to being outside again. It’s not like I’ve been avoiding going out... I’ve already gone out a few tis when no one was ho!"
"Really?"
"I even went to the SSM headquarters nearby. I was hoping to see so pro gars, but turns out it was an idol training studio and artists' studio... I totally got tricked."
"Ah... if you want to see pro gars, you should go to the headquarters in Wangsimni, Seongdong-gu. From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’ve been trapped there for a while..."
"Well, they kindly guided though."
So why did Yujin tell Harmony and Dice to take her out?
The answer was simple.
"I secretly went out. I told the people working here not to say anything, and after I went out, I even took a shower."
"...Good job. Anyway, if going outside for a change of scenery isn’t a problem, then we’ll follow through with the schedule as we were asked to."
"No problem."
"Then get dressed. Let’s go out."
With that, Dice and Harmony slipped out of Yujin’s house to get dressed, leaving Iris alone in the fitting room.
'...Co to think of it, if we go just a bit further up from Ttukseom Hangang Park, the Stella Universe headquarters is there. Should I suggest we visit that too?'
Of course, Iris hadn’t fully accepted the sudden changes but wasn’t inactive either.
The chaotic triple Bi-Yam outdoor adventure was about to begin.
"...Oh my, goodness."
"The world has really changed a lot. I admit it. The things machines that evolve on their own can create are much more impressive than I expected."
Near Central Park HQ, Roosevelt Island.
Yujin and the others watched in awe as a massive flying drone, several tis the size of an aircraft carrier, moved factory-sized facilities from Norway to New York. It was an incredible feat.
It was sumr.
"Now this is looking like sothing. Watching the ghost buildings scattered everywhere wasn’t pleasant. It’s a bit strange seeing all the familiar buildings gone, but..."
"I don’t know about that. It doesn’t feel like I’ve lived here in Central Park long enough to make such a statent. But by the way, why do our cha youngest ones look like puppies in need of a bathroom?"
"Oh, them... It’s because of Gaia. It’s their first ti dealing with soone with such massive influence joining in, so they’re probably worried they’ll lose their jobs."
"Tsk..."
Click.
With that sound, the artificial warmth from arms, legs, and the waist attached to her grew. It was the cha monsters trying to subtly latch on.
As I ntioned earlier, Gaia's Icarus and the U.S. joining had caused a massive ripple effect. The weight of the terraforming technology was huge.
I don’t even know how this relates to the cha youngest ones losing their jobs, but they probably feel like ‘if this keeps up, we’ll be completely jobless!’
I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Anyway...
"Quite a spectacle. Wasn’t it about three ters per hour?"
"If we sleep for a day or two, the nearby area will be flattened. It looks like they’re separating reusable materials from the building supplies... this feels a bit strange, though. It almost seems like sothing that shouldn’t happen is going on."
"Don’t think too deeply. Ultimately, all these buildings here were created for human convenience and needs, and if those needs are lost, the buildings beco aningless. It’s a natural process of prosperity and decline."
"Impressive words..."
Zing.
There was no need to ask how terraforming worked. What was happening right in front of them was that.
Several silver spikes shot up higher than the top of the buildings. They wrapped around the buildings, and from them, red lasers scanned the buildings. It didn’t take long before the concrete scattered and the steel skeleton was exposed.
The question of what to build here didn’t really matter. The housing departnt would take care of that. But, a little imagination couldn’t hurt.
'One good thing about this is that we could stop demolishing the buildings at any point...'
For example, we could just cut them off at the waist and use the remaining parts as needed.
There was no doubt that, with so many governnt agencies, intelligence agencies, and military headquarters cramd into Central Park HQ, they’d have to disperse so things around.
But we weren’t the only ones thinking that. The first goal was to move all the temporary buildings, the tangled mass of wires, and so on to nearby areas.
After that, it was about building condos for the nearby citizens—basically apartnts.
"Maybe ‘Apartnt Republic’ is exactly what we need right now."
"Did you say sothing, youngest?"
"Ah, no."
But given that the infrastructure had been completely destroyed, wouldn’t it be more practical to build apartnts for easy supply of water and electricity, and easier to monitor how many people live in each apartnt?
Well, it was a completely useless thought. As I said, it had nothing to do with us, who were busy with shooting and fighting.
While I was thinking this, a familiar, but not entirely familiar voice reached .
"What’s going on, why are the sisters clinging to the original? If you’re not busy, co see the the park being built. It looks like it’ll be ready for trial runs in a few weeks."
"Oh, that’s quite... an interesting thing to say. What’s the the?"
"That place we visited with the original last ti. It’s hard to fully replicate, but we’ll improve it gradually... Anyway, we need people who’ve been there to give their feedback."
"Sounds good. Let’s go."
At that mont, just as if it were tid, the wind picked up, and a drone descended and landed.
Instead of a helicopter, it was more of a drone—a small one, but it could carry about three tons comfortably. We all climbed on.
Today, Olivia, who had been hanging out elsewhere, ca along, and we flew together to Coney Island. For those who might not know, it’s a neighborhood under Brooklyn.
We flew through the ghost town, and after a while, we saw it.
"...Wait a second."
"Our youngest, what’s with that ridiculously huge Mickey Mouse?"
"That? Well, it seed kind of dull from the sky, so I built a huge sculpture. How about it?"
"...Should we talk about copyright or discuss your twisted sense of aesthetics?"
"Just tear down that giant thing. You know what I an?"
"...Ugh..."
The giant Mickey Mouse face was the first thing that caught our eyes.
Naturally, before we even entered the the park, an order for it to be demolished was issued.
But there was sothing even more surprising:
"Wow...!"
"Why are we demolishing that, Archetype?"
"It’s huge! I’m taking a photo!"
"Is this what cha youngest ones like?"
Well, you could say that.
I sighed and began brainstorming how to correct the hopeless foresight and taste of our cha youngest ones.
Maybe they just think bigger is better.
"...Was it a mistake coming out here?"
"It’s too late now, isn’t it? You should’ve stopped at the signing session, heh."
"I knew it would end up like this as soon as the signing session started..."
anwhile, in Seoul, Cheongdam-dong, the three Bi-Yams were surrounded by a crowd just 10 minutes after they stepped out.
It was only natural.
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